Gao said that he has experienced three lives in 70 years. The first one was in China, the second one was in France, and the third one was experiencing a serious illness after receiving the Nobel Prize. He feels very lucky to be able to enjoy his third life.

He was born in China, grew up in China, and lived in China for 47 years. Nevertheless, the Chinese regime was very indifferent to his accomplishment when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2000, and furthermore denounced the Nobel committee for having “ulterior political motives.”

Gao, however, said he did not feel disappointed, because his works were banned in China even before he was awarded the Nobel Prize, adding that, “It has been like that for several decades. China has not changed, neither have I.”